The regular season is approaching for Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors.
Toronto opted to hand Barnes the keys to the franchise by building around him. They traded both O.G. Anunoby and Pascal Siakam last season and there is optimism that the former Florida State Seminole can lead the Raptors in their new era.
After averaging 19.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks last season, Barnes earned his first All-Star experience.
Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a season-ending hand injury. But, hopefully he can continuously improve now as the No. 1 option in Toronto.
The franchise is set to enter its 30th season, a milestone moment for the organization. For Barnes, perhaps this is a bit of added pressure to make this year memorable.
With the Raptors classic purple dinosaur jerseys returning, famously worn by Vince Carter and Tracy McGradey, this is an exciting moment for players and fans.
In the short time that the Raptors have existed, there have been iconic jerseys produced in those 30 years. Barnes blindly ranked some of those jerseys for NBA Jersey Day, via Sportsnet:
We asked Scottie Barnes to blind rank some @Raptors jerseys from over the years 🦖#NBAJerseyDay pic.twitter.com/IetfDSXeqc
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 21, 2024
Fittingly, Barnes ranked the white dinosaur throwback jersey as No. 1 with the purple alternative being No. 3. Those two are arguably Toronto’s best.
Then another staple being the OVO-themed jerseys inspired by iconic rapper Drake wound up at No. 6. The Raptors pumped out some different versions of the OVO concept until deciding to return to their roots.
All in all, Barnes faired well in his blind ranking by putting the iconic jerseys in their respective places.
Darko Rajakovic outlines next step in Scottie Barnes’ offensive game
There is a lot of pressure for Scottie Barnes as he tries to turn the Raptors franchise around.
Heading into this year, head coach Darko Rajakovic outlined the next step for Barnes’ offensive game.
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